Hi. Can you please evaluate on several fronts? I was going to apply for 2010 entry but decided to wait until 2012 to get more work experience which ended up being the right decision. Is a top 10 ranked school a realistic goal given my profile? I will be applying to HBS, Chicago, Columbia, and Wharton for admittance Fall 2012. I currently work in the aerospace industry in manufacturing and supply chain. My plan after college was to build a strong foundation in operations to understand the ground level, obtain an MBA, and start to progress into Business Development and M&A advisory - I will probably have to move into an entry level IB analyst position before getting to real M&A and Private Equity work.
At matriculation:
Age:27 yrs old
WE: 5yrs at GE + 1yr engineering internship
Demo: Asian American
Gender: Male
Undergrad:
Mechanical Engineering, Top 15 public university
GPA 3.34 (too low?)
** Note: Slightly low GPA because I finished curriculum in 7 on campus semesters and obtained 1 year of Engineering work experience with United Technologies Corporation all within the 4 year window of undergrad.**
GMAT:
680 (too low GPA/GMAT combination?)
Work Experience:
Leadership program in Operations Management with General Electric (competitive undergrad program)
Held roles in Strategic Sourcing, Materials Management, Manufacturing Engineer, Production Cell Leader - 25 direct reports. Excellent recommendations from all 4 managers available. Identified as "top talent" by managers and colleagues.
Lean Manufacturing Specialist (1 year)
Led lean six sigma initiatives for an overseas manufacturing operation. Develop strategy and practice indirect influencing skills across 200 employees to improve operational efficiency, productivity, & capacity. Also was selected by a senior executive to lead a 2 month special project. I was rated as Role Model (the top 10% rating) during this role.
After the job in Lean Manufacturing I was promoted to an expatriate assignment in China where I am currently the material supply chain and inventory leader for a $80M aerospace manufacturing operation. I have 30 direct reports, 6 salary and 24 hourly which includes leading 1 Lean Leader, 5 Material Planners, and 24 hourly employees who work in warehouse and logistics. I report directly to the General Manager and expect another strong rating.
By the time I start my MBA in FA2012 I will have 2 yrs in a GE Leadership Program, 1 year as a Lean specialist, and 2 years as a supply chain department leader with global management and team leading experience in China. (Is this unique enough to be a differentiator?)
Community
a. Elementary Math tutor for 6 months during a 6 mo. job rotation.
b. Junior Achievement Mentor/Teacher for 3rd grade level class. Developed strong bond with students and faculty.
c. Executive team for Cincinnati March of Dimes foundation. Led a team/initiative to market and solicite donations on an aggressive timeline during an economic recession in 2009. The team broke an all time record in donations exceeding $200k.
d. Various volunteer events in China including setting up and leading the first volunteer event in 2010 where we painted 2 classrooms for an underprivileged school for migrant workers. We received a banner of thanks from the school.
Personal
Enjoy physical fitness (running, weight/cross training, racquet sports, golf)
Reading, socializing, volunteering my time to help others.
I am taking a 3x/wk class in Chinese Mandarin while in china and expect to progress to an intermediate level of the language in both reading, writing, and speaking by 2012. (should I highlight this more?)
I would appreciate any help/advice/comments. What can I do to improve? I am on a very steep career trajectory so I really need to assess the risk before initiating the application process. Looking forward to your input.
At matriculation:
Age:27 yrs old
WE: 5yrs at GE + 1yr engineering internship
Demo: Asian American
Gender: Male
Undergrad:
Mechanical Engineering, Top 15 public university
GPA 3.34 (too low?)
** Note: Slightly low GPA because I finished curriculum in 7 on campus semesters and obtained 1 year of Engineering work experience with United Technologies Corporation all within the 4 year window of undergrad.**
GMAT:
680 (too low GPA/GMAT combination?)
Work Experience:
Leadership program in Operations Management with General Electric (competitive undergrad program)
Held roles in Strategic Sourcing, Materials Management, Manufacturing Engineer, Production Cell Leader - 25 direct reports. Excellent recommendations from all 4 managers available. Identified as "top talent" by managers and colleagues.
Lean Manufacturing Specialist (1 year)
Led lean six sigma initiatives for an overseas manufacturing operation. Develop strategy and practice indirect influencing skills across 200 employees to improve operational efficiency, productivity, & capacity. Also was selected by a senior executive to lead a 2 month special project. I was rated as Role Model (the top 10% rating) during this role.
After the job in Lean Manufacturing I was promoted to an expatriate assignment in China where I am currently the material supply chain and inventory leader for a $80M aerospace manufacturing operation. I have 30 direct reports, 6 salary and 24 hourly which includes leading 1 Lean Leader, 5 Material Planners, and 24 hourly employees who work in warehouse and logistics. I report directly to the General Manager and expect another strong rating.
By the time I start my MBA in FA2012 I will have 2 yrs in a GE Leadership Program, 1 year as a Lean specialist, and 2 years as a supply chain department leader with global management and team leading experience in China. (Is this unique enough to be a differentiator?)
Community
a. Elementary Math tutor for 6 months during a 6 mo. job rotation.
b. Junior Achievement Mentor/Teacher for 3rd grade level class. Developed strong bond with students and faculty.
c. Executive team for Cincinnati March of Dimes foundation. Led a team/initiative to market and solicite donations on an aggressive timeline during an economic recession in 2009. The team broke an all time record in donations exceeding $200k.
d. Various volunteer events in China including setting up and leading the first volunteer event in 2010 where we painted 2 classrooms for an underprivileged school for migrant workers. We received a banner of thanks from the school.
Personal
Enjoy physical fitness (running, weight/cross training, racquet sports, golf)
Reading, socializing, volunteering my time to help others.
I am taking a 3x/wk class in Chinese Mandarin while in china and expect to progress to an intermediate level of the language in both reading, writing, and speaking by 2012. (should I highlight this more?)
I would appreciate any help/advice/comments. What can I do to improve? I am on a very steep career trajectory so I really need to assess the risk before initiating the application process. Looking forward to your input.
